Cubicweb fully supports the internalization of it's content and interface.

Cubicweb's interface internationalization is based on the translation project `GNU gettext`_.

Cubicweb' internalization involves two steps:

* in your Python code and cubicweb-tal templates : mark translatable strings

* in your application : handle the translation catalog

String internalization

----------------------

In the Python code and cubicweb-tal templates translatable strings can be

marked in one of the following ways :

 * by using the *built-in* function `_` ::

   class PrimaryView(EntityView):

       """the full view of an non final entity"""

       id = 'primary'

       title = _('primary')

  OR

 * by using the equivalent request's method ::

   class NoResultView(EmptyRsetView):

       """default view when no result has been found"""

       id = 'noresult'

       def call(self, **kwargs):

           self.w(u'<div class="searchMessage"><strong>%s</strong></div>\n'

               % self.req._('No result matching query'))

The goal of the *built-in* function `_` is only **to mark the

translatable strings**, it will only return the translation string

it-self, but not it's translation.

In the other hand the request's method `_` is ment to retrive the

proper translation of translation strings in the requested language.

Translations in cubicweb-tal template can also be done with TAL tags

`i18n:content` and `i18n:replace`.

Note ::

   We dont need to mark the translation strings of entities/relations

   used by a particular application's schema as they are generated

   automatically.

Handle the translation catalog 

------------------------------

Once the internalization is done in your application's code, you need

to populate and update the translation catalog. Cubicweb provides the

following commands for this purpose:

* `i18nlibupdate` updates Cubicweb framework's translation

  catalogs. Unless you work on the framework development, you dont

  need to use this command.

* `i18nupdate` updates the translation catalogs of *one particular

  component* (or of all components). FIXME After this command is

  executed you must update the translation files *.po* in the "i18n"

  directory of your template. This command will of course not remove

  existing translations still in use

* `i18ncompile` recompile the transaltion catalogs of *one particular

  instance* (or of all instances) after the translation catalogs of

  its components have been updated. This command is automatically

  called every time you create or update your instance. The compiled

  catalogs (*.mo*) are stored in the i18n/<lang>/LC_MESSAGES of

  application where `lang` is the language identifier ('en' or 'fr'

  for exemple).

Example 

```````

You have added and/or modified some translation strings in your application

(after creating a new view or modifying the application's schema for exemple). 

To update the translation catalogs you need to do:

1. `cubicweb-ctl i18nupdate <component>`

2. Edit the <component>/xxx.po  files and add missing translations (empty `msgstr`) 

4. `cubicweb-ctl i18n compile <myapplication>`